


Puppy Love

by lgbtfiction_writer



Category: Love Victor (TV 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dogs, Kissing Booths, M/M, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:27:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29120454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lgbtfiction_writer/pseuds/lgbtfiction_writer
Summary: Victor works a kissing booth at the Valentine's weekend carnival to help raise money for the animal rescue squad for which he volunteers. During his time volunteering, he is taken by a man who walks up and wants to make a donation to help the animals, but also to get an experience with the man working the booth. Where will it lead?
Relationships: Benjamin "Benji" Campbell/Victor Salazar
Comments: 10
Kudos: 18
Collections: Venji Fic Fests: Valentine's Day 2021





	Puppy Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoy my Valentine's Day Venji fic! It is long haha. It got away from me, but I promise you it's worth the time! I really enjoyed writing this story, and I hope you really enjoy reading it!

A chilly breeze hits the wet and now cherry-flavored lips of a tired man as he pulls them apart from his latest customer’s. She walks away giddy before Victor wipes away the lipstick from his own face, wondering how many more of these he will have to do.

It wasn’t Victor’s idea to set up a kissing booth to raise money for the animal rescue team with which he volunteers, but he admitted it was certainly a decent option. In discussions about who would operate it, no one really had much disagreement; Victor was the youngest of them all, with the widest smile and by far the most charm. He was their best bet to raise more funds given his natural draw. Victor wasn’t opposed to the idea either. He figured that it would be a good way to serve his community, and he wasn’t particularly averse to the idea of kissing people he didn’t know so long as it was for a good cause. He figured that it would be a fun way to spend the weekend serving the community. Plus, he was single, so he didn’t have to answer to anyone about kissing strangers. What Victor did not consider, however, was the sheer heteronormativity deeply engrained in southern culture. Only women seemed to come anywhere near approaching the booth, and even though Victor wouldn’t turn anyone away, he became quite disappointed that no man would approach.

It’s not that there weren’t gay men in Atlanta; no, Victor knew that that was extremely far from the truth. He also knew that the optics of a man approaching a kissing booth run by another man are something that it might be hard for some to shake. It’s quite a shame really, especially considering how much love Victor has to give.

The absolutely excruciating part, though, is that Victor agreed to run the booth on his own for some forsaken reason. This means that at this point, he has been on his feet for nearly six hours, his legs feeling like jelly underneath of him, as if they could give out at any second. The fact that he has to come back and do this tomorrow _and_ Sunday weighs on his mind as thoughts of wanting to go home swarm his mind. But Victor volunteered to do this, and he is not one to back out of his own commitments.

Another customer approaches. Another female, this one young, but still of an appropriate age – the only people Victor would turn away were minors. This one is of about average height, maybe a little shorter, with brown eyes, somewhat pale skin, and wavy brown hair. From what Victor can tell, she seems to have an excellent taste in fashion as well.

“Evening, ma’am,” Victor greets her politely with his usual wide smile as she searches through her purse for the two dollars required for her kiss.

“This is for the animals?” the young lady asks in a somewhat chipper high-pitched voice.

“Yes, ma’am,” Victor tells her.

“That’s absolutely fabulous,” she says as she proceeds to hand Victor four dollars. “I love animals.”

Victor recognizes that there was never really a limit set on the amount of kisses someone could receive, even though most people just assumed they were limited to one. He takes the money and thanks her before proceeding to kiss her. He gives her a peck on the lips once, and then once again.

“Hehe,” the girl giggles. “You’re as cute as an amuse-bouche, you know that?”

A little embarrassed, but too tired at this point to care, Victor flashes a smile and gives two thumbs up in place of words that he doesn’t have on his tongue.

“Thank you for your donation, ma’am,” he tells her. “You have a wonderful Valentine’s Day.”

“You too!” She says.

The young lady walks over to someone who appears to be her date.

“You are something else, you know that?” her date teases her.

“What?” she asks him defensively. “It’s for a good cause!”

“Well of course. You just complimented him quite a bit more than necessary, though,” he says.

“Don’t be so jealous. You know that I’m yours.”

“I know,” he replies before giving her a kiss. “But what’s so great about him anyway?”

“I’ll bet he’s nice to animals,” the girl says.

“ _I’m_ nice to animals. What kind of psychopath isn’t nice to animals?”

As the conversation fades away from Victor, he takes a deep breath. It’s exhausting the amount of women he has kissed today for being a gay man. He just needs to get through the rest of the night with a smile on his face to draw more people in.

Victor puts on his usual charm, but the thought persists, _Can there please just be one man tonight_?

* * *

It’s a harsh February air that pervades the atmosphere as Benji strolls along through the Valentine’s Weekend Carnival. It’s the third time he has been here, but the first time he has been here alone. It was just less than a year ago that he broke up with his boyfriend, as it was not a healthy relationship for either of them. They had been to the Valentine’s Carnival twice together, and now, Benji wanted to check out the festivities on his own. The amount of couples around doesn’t bother Benji in the slightest, as he has determined his self-sufficiency long ago. Upon spending the afternoon here, as well, he realized that Derek was merely a distraction from the fun activities that the carnival has to offer. Now, on his own, he can enjoy himself without having to worry about pleasing someone else. He can ride carnival rides, play games, and win prizes for himself.

Towards the end of the night, Benji walks by the last desolate corner of the carnival where he sees a sign for a fundraiser for the humane society’s animal rescue team. Benji’s first thought is to wonder why they are pushed so far to the back where it is harder for them to be seen. As an animal lover himself, he wishes that this organization would get more attention. Is it not an injustice that something like the humane society would be on such a tight budget?

Wanting to help as much as he can, Benji begins to walk towards the booth. He sees that it’s a kissing booth, and he chuckles at the idea at first. He doesn’t need to kiss someone in order to be coerced into giving money to such a worthy cause. He pulls out his wallet as the person’s back is turned who is running the booth, intending to simply make a donation, maybe make a small bit of conversation, and then walk away.

“Ahem,” Benji clears his throat to get the booth operator’s attention.

Benji’s heart nearly stops beating as the booth operator turns around, a man with thick hair, sparkling eyes, an absolutely glowing face, and the brightest smile Benji has ever seen.

“Good evening, sir,” Victor greets his new patron. “How can I help you?”

Benji stands for a moment, still a bit shaken by the sight of the handsome man in front of him, admiring his features a little too long without even realizing it.

“Sir?” Victor prompts him, snapping Benji out of his trance.

“Uh,” Benji attempts to recover, “here.” Benji hands Victor the two dollars it costs for a kiss. He has more to give, but he figures that he’ll get a kiss out of this too before simply donating the rest. Why not? The money is going to the same place either way.

Victor takes the two dollars and turns around to put it in the accounting box behind him.

“I don’t know how you feel about this,” Benji starts as Victor puts away the money, “kissing a man, I mean. If you’re not comfortable then consider that a donation--”

“Oh, I don’t mind,” Victor cuts him off, secretly celebrating in his own mind the prospect of a man finally approaching his booth. “I’m actually gay, so…”

“Oh! Well that’s cool. Have you had other men come by here?” Benji asks.

“Nope. Just women.”

“That sounds exhausting.”

“You’re telling me.”

At this point, Benji feels a bit awkward.

 _Why am I asking all these stupid questions_? He thinks to himself. _Just kiss him already!_

Victor comes back to the counter of the booth, and Benji’s heart starts to race faster than it ever has in his life. He’s never felt quite this flustered with a guy he just met before. Victor leans over the booth, and time seems to slow down and speed up at the same time. Benji notices Victor’s breath on his face, a sort of pure staleness of which Benji somehow can’t get enough. Their lips touch, and it’s not a deep kiss, but it’s not simply a small peck either. They pull apart.

_Wow._

After they pull apart from each other, they both stand there, quite motionless. They lock eyes with each other until one of them finally decides to break the tension.

“So uh,” Benji stammers, “It’s great that you’re doing this.”

“Doing what?” Victor asks, eyes fixed on Benji’s face, his expression not changing.

“Uh,” Benji continues to be at a loss for words, “the, uh – the--” he manages as he sort of vaguely gestures towards the humane society fliers that sit on the edge of the counter.

“OH!” Victor snaps out of his trance. “Right! The fundraiser!”

Benji releases a small chuckle, relieved that he doesn’t have to finish that sentence, because he doesn’t know if he would have been able to do so with this beautiful man staring at him.

“Yeah, we’re really tight on budget this year,” Victor explains. “I volunteer with the animal rescue team, and I guess the city council doesn’t seem to understand that we need more funds to be able to do our jobs.”

“That’s terrible,” Benji replies, saddened to hear this. “Well I, for one, think that you do very important work. I’m grateful for the services you provide in this community.”

“I appreciate your gratitude. We have other fundraisers going on too, but this is one of the simpler ones. I’ll be here all weekend, too,” Victor says with a little bit of a sarcastic smile this time.

“Ah, well, that sounds like a lot. But you’re doing such a great thing, so I guess just remember to keep that in mind. Oh! And before I forget!” Benji pulls a five dollar bill out of his wallet. “I do want to make this donation. It’s not much, but anything I can do to contribute to such an important service. No extra kisses necessary or anything.” They both laugh at the comment.

“Well thank you for your donation,” Victor replies. “Even a little bit can go a long way.”

“Of course! Well, it was nice talking to you! I hope you have a good weekend!”

“You too!” Victor replies. “Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!”

Benji walks away with a strange feeling, something like butterflies or maybe even a little bit stronger. He didn’t know what to expect to happen today, but he certainly didn’t expect this. Something just feels good; it feels right. It’s almost as if a sense of euphoria washes over him as he walks home. That euphoria, however is short-lived.

 _Damn it,_ Benji thinks to himself, suddenly coming down from his high. _How could I forget to ask his name?_

* * *

 _What just happened?_ Victor thinks to himself as he finishes closing down the kissing booth Friday evening and consolidates the money that he raised. A beautiful man with sweet lips and an unexpected sparkle in his eye gave Victor his last kiss of the night. Victor felt no need to wipe the taste of this man’s lips off, as he was glad they were the last lips who touched his own. He wasn’t sure why, but for some reason, he wanted that to linger as long as possible.

Victor wanted to know more about this mystery man, but as soon as the kiss happened, he froze. Why did he freeze? Why couldn’t he speak? He had never be so flustered in his life, and he just couldn’t put his finger on why he was this time. There was just something about the way that the man spoke, something about his posture, his demeanor, his lips. Victor can’t stop thinking about his lips. They were so soft, so easy. How could that kiss have been so perfect when it lasted only about a second and a half?

For the moment, Victor realizes that he has had a long day. He has kissed so many females today that a kiss from any man would have brightened his day as much as this one did. He had hoped for it, after all, hadn’t he? Was there anything really that uniquely special about this particular man, or is Victor just relieved that he got to kiss a man after a day full of standing on his feet and kissing women? He decides it doesn’t matter. It has been a long day, and he will be happy with its ending. Why not just appreciate a spark of brightness knowing that he will still have a long weekend to come?

Victor takes the Valentine’s Day heart lights down from the booth so he can bring them back to his place to avoid any type of theft. Other than the money, that’s the only truly valuable thing that is in that booth. They also belong to him, and he offered to use them so that the booth would attract more attention. He takes the lights and the money to his car as the carnival closes for the evening.

Victor’s night is not over just because the kissing booth is shut down for the night. He still needs to take the money back to the Humane Society shelter where he works so that he can properly count it and register it through the appropriate channels.

As Victor drives to the shelter, the thought of the man who he kissed earlier once again intrudes into his mind. He still doesn’t know what to make of what happened today. Victor definitely feels something. How is it possible for a kiss like that to happen and then for him not to feel something? He just doesn’t know what that something is yet.

He gets to the shelter and he finds that everyone else has gone home for the night. They do have someone to come in to work a night shift, but they have not yet arrived. It’s quite frustrating to Victor, because the shelter has a policy that the animals must not be left alone. Since no one is inside to let him in, he uses his own key to unlock the door; thank goodness he had the foresight to ask for a key for the weekend, given that he is not usually the person to open and close.

When Victor gets inside, he goes into the office to count up the money that he raised with the kissing booth. It’s not a ton of money, but it’s a decent amount for only charging two dollars per kiss. He records the amount down in the books, and he places the money in the rescue team fundraising box.

After Victor finishes recording down what is necessary, there is still no one else at the shelter, so he decides to do some off-the-clock checking up on the animals. At this time of the night, most of them are asleep. Victor checks all of their records to make sure they have been fed, and sure enough, they all have. He also notices the times that they were fed and is relieved that whoever was the last employee here did not leave very long ago.

Headlights shine through one of the windows, and a car parks outside the shelter. Victor hears the horn as the car is locked, and he sees the first night shift employee running in.

“Hey, Victor!” Mia says to him as she comes through the door. “I’m so sorry I’m late. I got off the phone with Alice a little while ago and I told her I was on my way so she could go home. How was the kissing booth?”

“It was fine,” Victor says with a bit of a small laugh. “It actually did pretty well.”

“I’ll bet that was fun,” Mia chuckles.

Victor returns a tired laugh, but a charming one nonetheless. “Mostly women, though. I figured that would happen.”

“Mostly?” Mia inquires curiously. “So were there any men that stood out to you?”

“Just one,” Victor tells her, not noticing how he sinks into himself shyly as he says it.

“ _Oh!_ ” Mia begins to tease. “So was he a handsome man?”

“Oh my god,” Victor rolls his eyes with an embarrassed smile, unaware of his face turning red.

“Oh, he was!”

“Mia, come on,” Victor says lightly, not wanting to get into it because he still doesn’t know exactly what he feels. “It was a kissing booth. I have to be professional about it.”

“Okay, okay,” Mia says with a gesture for Victor to settle down, as if he’s the one who needs to be settled. “But you’ve gotta tell me if something happens!”

“I will,” Victor laughs.

Victor and Mia have been close friends ever since they started working at the shelter together. It started with an argument over whether dogs or cats are better. Victor has always been more of a dog person, while Mia has always been more of a cat person. The argument ended in a mutual agreement that dogs and cats are both extremely adorable and that it was pointless to argue about it. From there, the two of them became best friends.

Mia doesn’t always work the late night shift, so it is usually forgiven when she is a little bit late. She’s usually pretty good about being on time, though, so no one really needs to fault her for it too much.

“So I went around and checked all of the animals to make sure they’re doing alright in their pens, and I checked to make sure they were all fed,” Victor tells Mia.

“Oh, Victor, you didn’t have to do that,” she says. “I’m sorry we didn’t get in touch with you to tell you that I would be here soon.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Victor shrugs it off. “It was my pleasure.”

“I’ll make sure to tell our manager that you were here so that you get paid for this time.”

“Nah, I was only here for a few minutes.”

“Are you sure?” Mia asks.

“Yeah, I’m sure!” he replies. “I’m gonna head home and tend to Rocky. Have a good night, Mia!”

“Good night, Victor! Tell Rocky I say hi!”

With a small laugh, Victor walks out the door and to his car, heading home for the last part of his evening.

When Victor gets home, his night still isn’t over.

“Hi Rocky!” Victor says in a voice much higher than he would use to speak to any human as his dog jumps on him to greet him at the door.

One of the friendliest dogs Victor has ever met, Rocky is a 44-pound cross between a beagle and a corgi. His fur is mostly white with some brown and black spots all over. His brown head with a white stripe on his snout is one of the cutest things Victor has ever seen. When Victor saw Rocky at the shelter, he knew that this would be his dog. He knew that he wanted this little guy. He didn’t even know what the breed was yet, but he knew. Victor had always wanted a dog, but the right opportunity in his life never really seemed to come along. When he found Rocky, he knew that he couldn’t pass up the chance. And that was only just over a month ago. Now, Victor feels so much more love for this nine-month-old puppy than he has ever felt for anyone or anything in his life. And Rocky loves him too.

The toughest part of having this dog, though, is that he does not like to be left alone. Whenever Victor has to leave for work or go anywhere and can’t arrange a dog sitter, he has to make sure that everything chewable is out of Rocky’s reach because that dog acts up when left alone. Thankfully, Victor has a lot of experience training animals, so he is able to keep most of Rocky’s chewing and biting habits in check. Still, Victor has already lost a shoe due to his own forgetfulness.

Rocky is not only a very friendly dog, but a very energetic dog as well. He sleeps a lot, but when he is awake, he is awake. That’s why when Victor gets home from the carnival and the shelter, even though it is late, it’s time for a walk.

Victor feeds Rocky and takes him for a walk along the suburban Atlanta streets, grateful that he is able to afford to live in the house he does with his yard and neighbors at the point in his life when he found Rocky. He is aware that many people are not as fortunate, and doesn’t take any of what he has for granted.

As Victor and Rocky walk down the street, Victor can feel his muscles tire after having stood in the kissing booth all day, but he doesn’t care, because taking care of his sweet adorable puppy is worth it. Rocky’s corgi energy that comes from his genetics of being a herding dog definitely shines through as he begins to run much faster than you’d think his little legs could take him. Victor sometimes struggles to keep up, but he doesn’t mind, since he figures it’s good exercise anyway.

They walk about a mile before they finally go back inside. Victor eats his own dinner, and he gets ready to go to sleep. He puts Rocky down in bed before finally going to his own bed to get some rest before another long day tomorrow.

Victor’s eyelids are heavy, and he allows them to close slowly as he lies down and sinks his head into his pillow. When he does, he is taken into another land; he sees a handsome, almost mythical-looking man, with slicked-back brown hair, a nice body, and some of the cutest looking lips he has ever seen. They lean into each other, their lips touch. That’s all Victor remembers when he wakes up.

* * *

Benji gets up on Saturday morning to go to work. Fortunately for Benji, unlike most people, he works a job that he absolutely loves. He manages a music store that he owns. It’s a small operation with few employees, but he takes a lot of pride in it. He always wanted to own a business, and he has never been more passionate about anything in his life than about music. One of the best parts of his job is that he gets to teach young students and help them gain a deeper appreciation of it as well. Sharing his passion with others, especially children to whom he can introduce a world of creative possibility, has always been his calling.

Benji gets to work in the morning to find that Felix has already arrived.

“You’re early,” Benji greets him when he walks through the door.

“I figured I’d get an early start!” a chipper Felix tells him. “I did some inventory, and it looks like we’re fully stocked for once!”

“That’s amazing!” Benji says excitedly. “That’s the first time that that has happened in weeks! I really appreciate you doing that!”

“It was nothing, really. I just know how busy you’ve been lately, and I wanted to help out as much as I could.”

Felix has always been a great employee for Benji. He and Nora always go above and beyond. Felix has been asking for a raise for the past few months, but Benji hasn’t had time to think about it. Benji always feels bad about it, too, because he knows Felix deserves that raise. It’s just that with the amount of time Benji spends in the office, trying to make sure that they are in stock of everything that they sell and dealing with customer service calls, he hasn’t had time to go through and adjust his payroll in the way that he wants to. Now that Felix has done inventory and they are in stock, he actually has some time to do that today. Plus, the office is closed for phone calls on the weekends so that they can have a chance to catch up on finances and inventory.

“So how about that raise?” Benji offers Felix.

“Wait, really?” Felix asks excitedly, not having expected this.

“Yeah,” Benji replies decisively. “You’re a hard worker, and you deserve it. Since you’ve helped a lot this morning, I have time to go do the paperwork now. I’m giving you a ten percent increase plus a Valentine’s Day bonus for your hard work and great work ethic.”

“Wow! Thank you! Valentine’s Day bonus? Is that even a thing?”

“It is now!”

“That’s really generous! Thank you so much!

“No need to thank me,” Benji says. “Thank _you_ for being such a great employee.”

“Absolutely, sir,” Felix says. “Felix Weston at your service!” He adds on a militaristic attention pose and a salute to the end of that interaction, causing Benji to laugh before he goes into the office.

While Felix mans the counter, Benji works on the paperwork to give Felix the raise that he promised. He finishes it rather quickly, and he ends up having quite a bit of time to spare. He usually stays at the store for the whole day on weekends because they are only open in the morning. During the week, he alternates with his assistant manager, Nora. Today is Nora’s day off, so he stays with Felix in the store to keep an eye on how things operate. It’s a bit of a slow day, and Benji has finished most of his administrative tasks, so he has a lot of time to think.

As Benji sits in his office, he can’t help but to think about the man he met the previous day.

_What is his name?_

The thought continues to drive Benji insane. He wonders why it matters so much. Why does he care? It was just a kissing booth to raise money for animals, wasn’t it? Or was it more than that to him? He didn’t even want a kiss until he saw the man standing in front of him with eyes that shined like the moonlight on a lake. He was just going to make a donation without the kiss until that man gave him such a charming smile that somehow lifted his spirits higher than they had been lifted in a long time. And then, when they did kiss, a wave of something crashed over him; he’s not sure what that wave was made of, but it was definitely big.

Benji’s thoughts begin to drive him crazy, as he has hardly anything else to think about on this quiet day at work. In order to try and distract himself, he picks up his guitar and begins to strum. An idea comes to mind, and he begins to sing. He writes the ideas that come from his mind, poetry flowing from the pen. When he finishes his song, he looks over and begins to realize that he might have a little bit of a problem.

When he closes up shop for the day, he unwittingly allows his legs to carry him to a familiar place.

* * *

Victor stands at his booth the second day. It is Saturday, the day before Valentine’s Day. It is slightly warmer than it was last night, and Victor is grateful that his hours are earlier since it’s a Saturday and he does not have to work his regular job during the day. It means that he can go home before it gets too cold this time.

Unfortunately, the second day at the kissing booth gets off to a slow start. It doesn’t seem to be quite as busy as it was on the first day. Victor looks around and recognizes that the carnival itself is not as packed, and there seem to be a lot of repeat carnival-goers from the night before. He figures that Friday night must have been prime time and that the carnival probably won’t get much Saturday business until later in the afternoon. It seems curious to him that there would not be a larger crowd on a Saturday, but it is what it is. The animal rescue must have made a miscalculation as to when they would get the most visitors.

Suddenly, a familiar figure catches Victor’s eye. A not-so-tall man, with a toned body and hair a little bit more frazzled than the previous night walks toward the very spot where Victor stands, sending chills down Victor’s spine. What is he doing back here? Is that really the same man that he felt something for last night? Is he dreaming?

“Good afternoon,” Benji greets Victor.

“What?” Victor finds himself with his guard down.

“Um, hi,” Benji repeats.

Victor shakes his head, snapping himself out of his trance once again. Oh, if only Benji knew how badly Victor wanted those lips again.

“Right, hi,” Victor finally brings himself to respond to Benji’s greeting. “What brings you back here today?”

“Well,” Benji starts, “I love animals. And I thought that such a worthy cause like the one for which you’re raising money could use an extra contribution.”

“Oh, really?” Victor seems surprised by Benji’s somewhat genuine generosity. “Well, thank you. I appreciate that, and so will the animals.”

“Of course,” Benji replies. “I know you said you were on a tight budget, and I felt bad. You guys could use more contributors, so I wanted to help out.”

“Well any contribution is appreciated,” Victor tells him with a smile.

Benji pulls four dollars out of his wallet and hands it to Victor.

“And this can just be a donation if you want it to be,” Benji assures Victor, trying to play it cool. “I mean, I know I’m technically giving you money for two kisses, but I know how tough it can be to have such a tight budget in a business. You could really use the money, and I want to help.”

As Victor takes the money from Benji, he takes a moment to think. He could just accept the donation from this kind gentleman and let him walk away, or he could get another kiss. He could feel those soft warm plump pink cushions on his own again, breathe in the scent of the other man’s breath, and feel that same sense of unusual comfort that he felt the night before.

Victor makes a decision before turning around to put the money away.

“Well,” he says to Benji, “I also know that part of running a business means providing a product or service in exchange for the money given. And a kiss doesn’t cost me anything.”

Benji raises an eyebrow, trying to hide his simultaneous relief and excitement at this statement.

“Yeah?” he asks Victor. “What are you implying?”

“I’m just saying,” Victor says, slightly rolling his eyes and presenting a smile that Benji somehow doesn’t recognize is flirtatious, “that since you provided the money, I’m not going to deny you the service.”

Benji raises his eyebrows again, this time clearly in a flirtatious manner, but Victor seems to interpret it another way.

“Uh, if you want,” he backtracks quickly, hoping that he hasn’t overstepped any boundaries. “You don’t have to, but like I said, you paid, and it would only be fair to you that if you wanted the service that you paid for then--”

“If you insist,” Benji interrupts Victor, rolling his eyes.

Of course, this was Benji’s plan all along. Would he have made another donation to the shelter? Of course he would. He could have done that online or in person at the shelter, or he could have done it by some other means, but he decided to come here to the kissing booth because he wanted another kiss from Victor. Of course he did. Who wouldn’t?

Benji approaches the booth, and Victor leans over towards him. Their lips touch for a glorious second and a half the first time, and each of them feel as though they’ve melted away at the touch of the other. They lean in a second time to honor the amount of money that Benji paid. The second kiss is deeper. At least five seconds pass before they pull apart again, maybe a few more. When they do pull apart, they each let out a soft chuckle, wondering how this could feel so new and exciting the third time.

“Okay, well, uh,” Benji says with a chuckle after a few seconds pass. “Have a good day then.”

“Okay,” Victor breathes.

“Yeah.”

“You too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

“Bye.”

Flustered beyond belief at this point, Victor watches Benji walk away from the booth.

Once again, they both forgot one small detail.

* * *

“This is so exciting, Vic!” Mia says as they talk on the phone. Victor decided to call her to talk to her about the man he met twice at the carnival and to whom he has given three surprisingly satisfying kisses. “What’s his name?”

Victor pauses for a moment. “His what?”

“His name, Vic. What’s his name?”

“Uhhh…”

“Oh come on! You didn’t get his name?” Mia asks in disbelief. How could Victor forget something so important?

“I guess I forgot about that.”

“Victor, how are you ever going to find him again if you don’t know his name?”

“Who said I was gonna find him again?” Victor asks defensively.

“Seriously? You obviously like this guy. You’ve met twice for a grand total of less than ten minutes, and you’ve talked my ear off about him already. You expect me to believe that you have no desire to reconnect?”

“Well, I guess,” Victor says pensively. “I don’t know, though. Like you said, how am I going to reconnect with him if I didn’t get his name?”

“Well do you know anything about him?” Mia asks. “Where he’s from? Where he works? What he does for a living? What he likes?”

“No, I don’t know any of that.”

“You’re not really giving me anything to work with here, Victor.”

“Well, I’m sorry. We didn’t really get much of an opportunity to talk.”

Mia sighs on the other end, trying not to give up on her best friend’s obvious crush.

“Oh wait!” Victor exclaims suddenly, causing Mia to perk up. “He did mention that he knows what it’s like to be on a tight budget in a business. So maybe he owns one or is an accountant or something?”

“Oh, that could be something,” Mia sounds hopeful again. “Did he happen to say anything else about the business he might be a part of?”

“No,” Victor sighs, the small bit of optimism that coursed through his veins now gone again. “No, he didn’t give me any specifics at all. He didn’t tell me what industry he works in or even what position he has within the business.”

“Oh,” Mia begins to say sarcastically. “Well that narrows it down to about _every business in and around the Atlanta area_.”

“Mm, I don’t even know if he lives in Atlanta.”

“Well he did stop by the carnival and come to your booth twice, right?” Mia tries to reason. “He’s probably at least somewhat local if he can spare the time to come to the carnival twice.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Victor admits. Mia usually is. He always hates admitting it, but he ends up doing so anyway pretty much all the time. “I still don’t know how to find him. This city is huge.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Vic,” she says. “I guess if it’s meant to be, the universe will find a way to make it happen. But keep your eyes peeled in case you see him again. And don’t forget to ask his name!”

“Alright! Alright!” Victor laughs somewhat annoyed, but also somewhat playfully. “I’ll make sure to pay more attention.”

“I just want you to be happy, Vic.”

“I know,” Victor drops his defense, grateful to have a friend like Mia who cares about him and is always willing to go out of her way when necessary to help him improve himself and his life. “Thank you.”

“Good luck on your last day with the kissing booth,” Mia says. “It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow, so I’m sure there will be lots of love in the air.”

“We’ll see,” Victor laughs. “Good night, Mia.”

“Night, Vic.”

They hang up.

Victor is tired. He is so tired, in fact, that he doesn’t even get up to get ready for bed. He sits on his couch next to Rocky. He pets him until they both fall asleep, and they spend the night in that position, peaceful.

* * *

Benji has not always been as fearless as he is now. His fear of rejection used to haunt him so much that he would cast himself into oblivion instead of ever talking to another human being. After Derek, he had gotten over that. Derek had asked him out, and he had said yes simply because he was glad that someone had finally taken a liking to him. It wasn’t until much later that he realized that was a bad idea. The good news is that the experience helped him get over his fear of rejection, realizing that not every couple is a great match. If he gets rejected now, he can simply move on. What this means today, on Valentine’s Day, is that he has the courage to take his shot.

Benji arrives at the carnival again in the afternoon, this time for the last time, as it is the last day that the Valentine’s weekend carnival will be operating this year. He has already partaken in most of the activities, and he has one very specific destination this time. Despite the absence of his usual fear of rejection, Benji can’t help but to feel jittery as he makes his way back to the back of the carnival where Victor’s kissing booth stands. He knows that what he is about to do is risky and that it may not work. He has the feeling that it will, but he also has a slight fear that it won’t. No, fear isn’t the right word. Apprehension. He feels a sort of apprehension about how this interaction will go, as he considers that the step he is about to take is a rather large one.

Every step Benji takes towards the booth feels heavier and slower, as if he can’t get there quickly enough. Never have the grounds of the carnival felt so large. He tries to hurry his pace, but not too much because he doesn’t want to seem too eager when he gets to the booth. No, that would probably scare the animal-loving man away, especially given that Benji is already about to take an eager step. Still, he pines in anticipation of what is to come as he makes his way back.

The booth is in sight, and Benji’s heart drops just a bit to see that there is a line. It’s one thing that he has to wait even longer, but he flinches at the idea of having to watch this man kiss several people ahead of him. It’s not all women this time either; two men stand in the line, just ahead of Benji. It is a kissing booth, after all, though, and Benji tries to put himself in the frame of mind that he is glad so many people have showed up to support the animals. Plus, who could resist this man? He is so charming, his face glows every time he smiles, and every word he speaks is so sweet. Benji gets in the back of the line and tries to maintain his composure, knowing that he can’t claim the handsome man yet.

The wait feels like forever. Benji watches one person after another kiss this mysterious man who he has not been able to stop thinking about for the entire weekend. Each kiss seems to last longer, as well, although that part is probably just Benji’s imagination; at least, that’s what he tells himself to prevent himself from going absolutely mad. There are even a couple of points at which Benji feels the need to look away. It hurts his heart too much. There is a part of Benji that tells himself that it is crazy to think this way about someone that he just met less than forty eight hours ago, but there is another part that rationalizes it and tells himself that it makes perfect sense.

When Benji realizes that he is next in line, he begins to collapse internally.

 _No_ , he tells himself. _Stay calm. Steady and forward._

He takes a deep breath, which works minimally in calming his nerves.

“Hi,” he says to Victor as he approaches the booth once again.

“Hi,” Victor responds, surprised to see Benji back for a third time. This marks Benji stopping by on every single day of the carnival, something that Victor did not expect at all.

“How are you?”

“I’m doing alright. How are you?” Victor asks, ignoring the line building up behind Benji.

“Uh, I’m great,” Benji seems not to have expected the question. He tries to get to the point because, unlike Victor, he does notice the line. “Um, I wanted to make another donation.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, here.” Without much warning, Benji pulls out a twenty dollar bill to give to Victor.

Victor’s eyes widen suddenly at the unprecedented amount of money that Benji hands him. Suddenly, he starts to panic.

“Umm, I don’t know if I can take this,” he says.

Benji, however, nudges further. “Once again, it’s just a donation. I don’t want you to feel any obligation to--”

“You’re paying the rescue team twenty dollars without expecting anything back? Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Benji insists, wanting to help the animals, but still secretly hoping that the twenty dollars leads to more than just the three small kisses he has already gotten. “Please, take it.”

“Well,” Victor says, “you know that I don’t want to leave you hanging completely.”

This statement gives Benji some hope.

“Please,” Benji insists once again, “take the money before providing any service. Trust me, I really want the rescue team to have it.”

“Okay,” Victor says reluctantly as he slowly takes the bill from Benji’s hand and posits it in the cash box without taking his eyes off of Benji, who nods and smiles through this process, encouraging the action.

Victor returns to the counter of the booth, and Benji has not walked away.

“Sir, I really don’t feel good about leaving you hanging here,” Victor says, now feeling a little bit weary of the situation. There are now ten people in line behind Benji.

“So what do you want to do?” Benji asks.

Victor thinks about what to do for a moment. Quickly, he leans over the counter and gives Benji a quick peck on the lips, pulling away much faster than Benji expects.

“Have a good day, sir,” Victor says hastily. “Next!”

“Oh,” Benji is somewhat taken aback by Victor’s haste to move on to the next customer. “You too,” he says, but Victor is already helping the next person.

Benji walks away from the booth somewhat dejectedly. He really thought that was going to work. He knew that it was a little bit of a risk, and he had already decided that the cost-benefit of this move would be worth it. Even if he didn’t personally get what he wanted out of it, he would be making a big donation to the cause, at least relative to the small individual donations being made this weekend. That, he can still be happy about. He doesn’t feel like he wasted any money at all. He really thought he had a shot with this man, though. This man whose name he does not know, capturing his heart, handling it ever so delicately, yet not realizing how fragile it really is.

* * *

“So did you get his number this time?”

“Shit.”

“Victor!” Mia exclaims, frustrated at her friend once again. “He came back for a _third_ time! How could you not get his number?”

“It was so confusing!” Victor defends. “He handed me a twenty dollar bill, and I didn’t know what to do. So I just gave him a little kiss and took the donation.”

“WHAT?!?”

“Mia, I--”

“Victor, you’re such an idiot.”

“Hey!”

“He gave you a twenty dollar bill while coming back to a kissing booth for the third day in a row.”

“Yeah?”

“Put the pieces together! He obviously likes you!”

“You really think so?” Victor asks hopefully.

“Of course, dummy,” Mia calms down a little. “So what’s his name?”

Victor pauses. “Yeah, about that…”

“Victor!” Mia’s calmness disappears.

“Look, it was just a lot, okay?”

“Fine. I hope things work out for you two by some miracle, because you’re both so dumb.”

* * *

Today is the day. Benji has always wanted a dog. He has spent most of the past few months preparing his house for one and trying to make sure that he is ready to own one. Now, he is in a better place than ever to be able to do so. As disappointed as he is about not getting some more time with the man at the kissing booth, he has still always cared for animals, and the interaction reminded him of just how much he wants this.

The Friday afternoon of the week following Valentine’s Day, Benji goes to the Humane Society shelter with an open mind. He scheduled an appointment on the phone with some woman named Mia to come and look at the dogs that they have. He doesn’t know what breed he wants yet, but he knows that he definitely wants one and that he is ready.

Benji walks in the door to the shelter, and he freezes. The man at whom he stares freezes just as suddenly as he does, and they stand there with their eyes locked on each other. They know where they’ve seen each other before. They know _exactly_ where they’ve seen each other before. Benji knew that this man volunteered with the animal rescue, but he didn’t know that he actually worked at that shelter.

“Hi,” Mia says as she walks towards the door from one of the animals, “You must be Benji. How can I help--”

Suddenly, Mia catches on to the situation and what is happening between the two men. Benji nods awkwardly, confirming his identity, eyes still locked on Victor. Mia looks back and forth between them, gaining understanding when Victor looks over at her in the awkward silence.

“Ohhh,” Mia says softly. “Actually, _Benji_ ,” she makes sure to emphasize his name, “ _Victor_ can help you out. He’s great with animals. He knows a lot, and would _love_ to help you. Isn’t that right, _Victor_?”

As Mia talks to Benji, it sends Victor into a bit of a panic. He certainly was not expecting this.

“Um, yeah, sure,” Victor says while shaking his head, trying to keep his cool.

“Well, I will leave you two to it, then,” Mia says. She turns to Benji and adds on, “I think that you’ll find a worthy companion today. And maybe a decent dog, too.” She winks at Victor as she says this, and it prompts Victor to give her a little shove.

Mia walks away to give them some space, and the two of them stand there and awkwardly stare at each other for a bit more time.

“So, Benji, is it?” Victor asks to finally break the silence.

“Yep, that’s me,” he confirms.

Victor chuckles a little bit.

“What?” Benji asks defensively.

“Do I have to tell you how many dogs here are named Benji?” Victor says playfully.

“Wow!” Benji says with a laugh, feigning offense. “What a lovely greeting!”

“It’s not my fault your name just happens to coincide with that of a famous dog,” Victor laughs through the statement.

“It’s not mine either!” Benji says. He then backtracks, “Well, I guess it kind of is. My full name is Benjamin. But if you ever call me that…” he threatens Victor with a menacing stare before they both break out into laughter.

Their laughter dies down after a few seconds, and it’s quiet again.

“So,” Benji says now seeming a bit more stern, “you hate my name.”

“What?” Victor asks frantically, panicked. “No! I just, um, I was – I was just--”

“Relax,” Benji laughs and assures him. “I’m just messing with you.”

“Heh, right,” Victor laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. He then clears his throat, remembering that he is at work. “So, _Benji_ ,” he smiles as he says the name, “what can I help you with today?”

“Right, well, uh, I’m actually here to adopt a dog,” Benji tells him.

“Oh! Well certainly. Let me show you some of our--”

Suddenly, Benji gasps and runs up to one of the pens behind Victor, turning Victor around in haste.

“This one is so cute!” Benji exclaims as he goes right up to the kennel with a medium small pug beagle. He adds on in a babying voice, “Oh, look at how is little face is so smushed in. I love him!”

“Well that was certainly quick!” Victor laughs as Benji pets the dog through the bars. “This is Marley. He’s a mix between a beagle and a pug--”

“OH MY GOD! A PUG?! I would die for him!”

“Yes,” Victor laughs. “He’s quite the troublemaker, but he’s really sweet and deserves--”

“I’ll take him!”

“W-wait, are you sure?” Victor is surprised by Benji’s suddenness.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Benji says decisively.

“I should at least fill you in on more information before--”

“Victor,” Benji says calmly as he gets up and looks Victor in the eye, “I’ve been doing a lot of research and preparing for a really long time to get a dog. I have heard so many of the things that dogs do, and I am ready for any challenge. Of course I will need more information before I actually take him home, but this,” he turns around and points to Marley, “this is my dog.”

As soon as Benji saw Marley, he knew. He doesn’t quite know how he knew, but he had a feeling. It’s a feeling in his gut that this dog is the one for him. He has never been more sure about anything in his life. This is Benji’s dog.

“Well, then I’ll get his information and then we can fill out the paperwork,” Victor says.

“This is so exciting!”

Before Victor goes to get the paperwork for Marley, he turns to Benji, “Just please promise me that you’ll read everything before you sign anything.”

“Of course I will,” Benji assures him. “I know better than to sign things without reading.”

“Good.”

Victor goes back to get Marley’s paperwork so that he and Benji can go through it together. It turns out that Marley is a bit of a chewer, but that is something that Benji can deal with. He is also a bit of a fool, but once again, Benji feels that he has never been better equipped to handle that. He knows that a dog would come with its challenges; he also knows that he is doing a great thing by rescuing this animal. Given that Marley is several years old, so no longer a puppy, Benji also knows that he is more likely to be passed up by potential adoptive owners. He knows that he can give Marley that home that he deserves.

“So, does everything look good for you Benji?” Victor asks when they finish going over the paperwork.

“Yes! Everything looks amazing!”

“Well, then you can fill out this paperwork. Remember that this is a legally binding adoption, so you are responsible for this dog. And make sure to let us know if your situation changes in case we need to step in,” Victor explains.

“I think I’ll be fine,” Benji says.

“I have a feeling you will be,” Victor laughs. “But I am required to say all of that stuff for your information.”

“Fair.”

Victor gives Benji the papers that he needs to fill out on his own before he can take the dog home.

As Benji is filling out the papers, Mia enters the room.

“I see things are going well in here?” she says.

Benji doesn’t respond, too eager to fill out the paperwork and bring the dog home. Victor responds for him instead.

“Benji has decided to adopt Marley!” Victor tells Mia.

“Oh! That’s so great!” Mia says. “He’s been with us for quite some time, so I’m glad he is finally finding a home.”

Benji continues to fill out his paperwork.

“So, Victor,” Mia turns to him, “have you made any progress in your musical pursuits yet?”

“Not quite,” Victor says somewhat frustrated. “I haven’t really been able to find a teacher. Or a guitar for that matter.”

The conversation catches Benji’s ear.

“I want to learn,” Victor continues, “but it’s really hard when you don’t have all the right equipment. Plus, I don’t even know where to look. I don’t want to buy some cheap guitar and then have it break or find out that it sucks and for it to be totally worthless. I want it to be affordable, but I also want it to last and be at least of a decent quality.”

“I own a music store,” Benji chimes in.

Mia and Victor both look over in his direction.

“Yeah?” Victor asks.

“Yeah,” Benji confirms. “Sorry, I know that this conversation wasn’t really about me. But if you want, you can come by the shop and I could get you set up with some equipment and maybe a lesson or two?”

“Oh, um,” Victor starts, and then Mia nudges him in the side, moving her eyes back and forth between Victor and Benji. Victor gets the message clearly. “Yeah! Yeah, I’d love to.”

“Okay, well great,” Benji says happily. “It’s Campbell’s Music, down the road. It’s past the McDonald’s, but if you hit the thrift shop, you’ve gone too far.”

“Thanks, I’ll make sure to check it out,” Victor says with a smile.

“Great,” Benji replies, and they stand smiling at each other once again.

Mia looks between them again, happy that the two finally seem to be connecting, but also wanting desperately to get out of this situation.

“Okay!” she says to break the silence. “Benji, it looks like you’re almost done with the paperwork, so as soon as you finish, you can take Marley home!”

“That’s awesome!” Benji exclaims, and Victor smiles with him. “I just have one more thing to sign…and…done!”

“Okay! Great!” Victor says. “He’s yours! Here’s a leash and a bit of food to get him started, and make sure you take really good care of him!”

“I will,” Benji says with a soft smile. “And I look forward to seeing you at the store, Victor.”

“Me too,” Victor says, smiling.

They hook Marley up to his leash and let him out. He jumps all over Benji, excited to have a new friend. Benji exits the shelter, leaving Victor and Mia at the desk.

“So,” Mia says to Victor, “what’s his name?”

“Shut up,” Victor shoves her playfully.

“He’s cute,” Mia observes.

“Yeah,” Victor says as he smiles and longingly gazes out the door out of which Benji just walked. “Yeah, he is.”

* * *

“Benji, could you stop acting so paranoid? I’m sure it will be fine,” Felix says, starting to get somewhat stressed out by Benji’s pacing back and forth.

“Why hasn’t he showed up yet, Felix?” Benji asks while pulling at his hair. He releases it in a moment of panicked delusion. “Do you think he was just leading me on and doesn’t want anything to do with me?”

“What??” Felix asks somewhat aggressively. “What in the world would lead you to believe that?”

“I don’t know,” Benji sighs and starts pacing again. “That last day at the kissing booth when I gave him a twenty, he just kind of gave me a peck and left. And then I just randomly showed up to the shelter, not that he asked me to. I invited him here, again without him asking me to, and we didn’t set any date or anything. And now it’s been two weeks and…”

Benji runs out of breath as he paces across the store, panting.

“I thought you were over this whole ‘needing a guy’ thing,” Felix reminds Benji questioningly.

“I am,” Benji assures him, a little calmer now. “There’s just something about this one that I really don’t want to let him get away. I just wish I had handled it better and gotten more information sooner, like his name.”

“Well, I’m sure that whatever happens, you’ll be alright,” Felix comforts Benji.

“Thanks,” Benji replies. “I just wish we had some more business today so that I could get my mind off of this.”

As Benji says this, a figure catches Felix's eye from the other side of the window, walking towards the store.

“Looks like we have a customer now,” Felix draws Benji’s attention to the person walking up.

Benji looks over and gasps suddenly. “It’s him!” he exclaims in an excited whisper.

“Oh,” Felix catches on, surprised and excited for his manager and friend.

“Just act natural!” Benji says as he finds one of the practice mirrors and checks himself out in it. He realizes that his hair is a bit of a mess, so he reaches into a trumpet case and grabs a mouthpiece cleaning brush with which he brushes his hair.

“Benji!” Felix shouts from the register, his arms raised in disbelief.

“Relax, I’ll toss this one and put a new one in there. They’re cheap.”

Felix puts his hands up in defense and then rolls his eyes when Benji is turned around.

Benji rushes to his office so he can be in place when Victor walks in the door. He makes it just in time for Victor to walk in, ringing the bell that sounds whenever a customer arrives.

“Hi, how may I help you, sir?” Felix greets Victor as he arrives.

“Oh, uh, hi,” Victor says. “I’m here for Benji.”

“Victor! Is that you?” Benji exclaims as he walks out of his office. “I’m so glad you could make it!”

Felix stands at the counter, looking confused and cynical. This is quite the acting job for Benji not to expose how anxious he was about two minutes ago.

“You’re here for a guitar, right?” Benji asks Victor.

“Yeah, and a lesson if you’re available,” Victor stammers. “I know it’s kind of last minute, so we can do it another time if--”

“No!” Benji shouts, startling both Victor and Felix, who pretends to be working on something at the register, but is really just eavesdropping on the conversation. “I mean, uh, you don’t have to reschedule. It hasn’t been a busy day, so we can do one today.”

“Cool,” Victor says. “So how is Marley?”

“Oh! Marley is doing amazing!” Benji replies. “He has a tendency to chew on things, but I’ve made it work so that there isn’t much in his reach.”

Victor laughs at this.

“But I think he is really liking his new home,” Benji adds on with a smile.

“I’m really glad to hear that!” Victor says. “Hey, by the way, sorry I didn’t come by sooner. I had trouble finding the store, and the first time I showed up, I missed closing by about an hour. Plus, I’ve been really busy.”

“Oh, yeah! No worries!” Benji says way too chipper for Felix’s taste. “I figured!”

“Sure did,” Felix mutters under his breath sarcastically.

“Felix!” Benji yells, snapping Felix upright into place. “Why don’t you go check the inventory in the office?”

“But didn’t you check the--”

“I wasn’t done.”

“But you said that you finish--”

“DOUBLE CHECK!”

“O-okay,” Felix stammers and stumbles backwards, surprised by how powerful Benji’s command is. He disappears into Benji’s office, and he decides to just read on his phone.

Benji does feel a little bad about yelling at his best employee, but he had to get rid of Felix somehow. There’s no way he would be able to carry on a natural conversation with Victor if Felix was standing in the room muttering things under his breath. It would just be so much more awkward.

“So, anyway,” Benji turns back to Victor. “We have a pretty good selection of guitars over here, so you can tell me what you’re looking for and I’ll help you pick one out.”

“Awesome! Thanks!” Victor waves off the previous interaction. “So I’m not looking to get super seriously into this, but I do want one of quality. I just don’t want to break the bank since I won’t be making this into a career or anything, you know what I mean?”

“Yeah, of course! That makes perfect sense!” Benji understands. “Are you looking for electric or acoustic?”

“Preferably acoustic,” Victor replies. “I like the sound more, plus, like I said, I’m not too serious about it. I don’t want to have to worry about amps and stuff like that.”

“Sure, well,” Benji says while examining what he has on the guitar shelf. “This one is pretty good. This is a Rogue Dreadnought model. It’s pretty affordable.”

“Interesting,” Victor says. “What else do you have? Not that I don’t like it, I just want to see all of my options to make sure I’m making a smart purchase.”

“That’s completely fair,” Benji says. “I wouldn’t go down from the Rogue. The next model up that we have is a Yamaha. Now, it’s a little more expensive, but it’s generally more reliable and more versatile, meaning that it’s meant for pretty much all kinds of music. Classical, rock, country, jazz – anything really. In my opinion, the cost makes it a fair trade-off, but that really depends on your budget.”

“Hmm,” Victor weighs his options carefully. “I would like to ask to try them both out, but I don’t know how to play guitar, so that wouldn’t be effective.”

“Well,” Benji says, “I could teach you a little bit on one, and you could see if you like it. And then you could switch to the other one for a few minutes and strum for a bit?”

“Actually, that sounds like a great idea,” Victor says.

“Awesome! With which option would you like to start?”

“How about the Yamaha? I feel like I’m leaning towards that one initially.”

“Good choice,” Benji says, and he takes the Yamaha off the shelf. “Oh! And before I forget! You’ll want to get an instrument humidifier so that the wood doesn’t crack due to extreme climate. That’s really important for acoustic guitars or really any wooden instruments. You want to make sure to take care of your instruments so that they last and you don’t have to get some really expensive repair later. We have a few over there, so we can check those out later. And whichever instrument you buy, we’ll provide you a case.”

“Sounds great!” Victor says. “So where do we want to do this lesson?”

“We can do it in here,” Benji says as he walks over to his office.

Benji opens the door to his office to see Felix sitting in his swivel chair and playing with a rubber band. When Benji opens the door, it startles Felix, and he puts the rubber band down on the desk and sits up.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Campbell,” Felix asks in haste, reminded of Benji’s stern tone with him earlier.

“Felix, relax,” Benji chuckles. “I’m just going to use the office for a guitar lesson. Tell you what, why don’t you go ahead and go home early and close up shop? You’ve earned it.”

“Really?” Felix asks, surprised.

“Yeah, of course! I’ll see you tomorrow, and we’ll have more staff so when it gets busy you won’t have to do everything.”

“Well alright then! Have a nice night!” Felix replies, relieved to be able to get out of there.

“You too!” Benji replies to him.

“Have a good one!” Victor says. “Felix, is it?”

“Yep, that’s me! Thanks so much. Hope you find what you’re looking for tonight. And, uh, maybe a little more if you know what I mean,” Felix winks.

“Okay,” Benji interrupts, and he starts to lead Felix to the door. “Out you go, Felix.”

“I get it, I get it,” Felix refuses to stop talking. “You want some alone time.”

“Alright,” Benji dismisses.

Felix walks out the door, and he then turns back and says, “Just make sure you’re safe and that you use pro--”

“Goodbye!!” Benji says as he glares at Felix and closes the door.

Felix smiles and gives Benji two thumbs up through the window, and Benji returns the gesture if it means that Felix will leave sooner. Benji is good friends with the guy, but he doesn’t have a clue when to shut up. Felix also smiles and waves at Victor, who stands confused and returns the wave. Benji then waves Felix on; Felix nods in understanding and finally walks away.

Benji lets out a sigh, relieved that he does not have to deal with that anymore at the moment.

“Sorry about that,” he says to Victor. “He’s a nice guy, but he can be a little…what’s the word I’m looking for….”

“Nosy?” Victor laughs.

“I was gonna say overreaching, but that works too,” Benji says, and they both laugh. “So, on with this lesson, shall we?”

“Let’s do it!”

They take their seats in the lesson studio area of Benji’s office. To save time, Benji tunes the guitar before they start.

“So, Victor, do you have any experience making music?” Benji asks.

“I have experience listening to music,” Victor laughs.

“Well that’s a start,” Benji nods.

“But I also play piano,” Victor laughs again. “I was joking.”

“Oh!” Benji chuckles. “Well then this will be a lot easier since you already know basic theory and chord progressions, I assume?”

“Yep!” Victor confirms.

“Great! So first, I want to get you familiar with how to hold the guitar.”

As Benji describes the basic parts of the guitar and how Victor should hold it, he moves Victor’s arms and hands to the right places. Each of them is taken into what seems to be another dimension by the other’s touch, but neither of them says anything about it.

“Okay, do you feel comfortable?” Benji asks when Victor finally has his hands in the right place.

“It’s kind of hard to hold up,” Victor admits.

“Oh! I know what we’re missing!” Benji says, and he goes to get a neck strap which he then attaches to the guitar while Victor holds it, so as not to disturb Victor’s posture. “Better?”

“Yeah, this does feel better,” Victor says.

“Great! It’s typically for standing, but sometimes it helps when you’re first starting out,” Benji says. “Now let’s get to playing then! First, it’s important that you know the strings. The ones toward the bottom are higher, and the ones toward the top (closest to your face) are lower. Yeah, I know, it’s counterintuitive, but that’s just how it is.”

Victor laughs at this comment.

“So, we name the strings from the bottom up. So the highest string is the first string, and that’s the E string. Then the second string is B. Then G, D, A, and E again, but this is a lower E,” Benji points to each string and also plucks each one as he gets to it. “Then, the little divots you see on the neck of the guitar are called frets. Each one represents one half-step. So if you want to play an F, which is a half-step above E, you would put your first finger down on the first fret on the E string, and play that string. Try it.”

Victor follows Benji’s direction, and he successfully plays an F.

“There you go!” Benji tells him. “You’re a natural!”

If one were to ask, Victor couldn’t really explain the warm feeling he has inside as Benji compliments him. It’s just so nice - and dare he say cute? - to hear Benji’s voice like that.

“That’s just the basics, and I trust that since you are already a musician,” Benji teases, and Victor giggles, “you can figure out individual notes on your own.”

“Probably, yeah,” Victor laughs.

“Great, so let’s start with a couple of basic chords, and then you can strum on each guitar. Sound good?”

“Sounds great!”

Benji shows Victor through a few chords, and since he knows Victor can handle it, explains some of the theory behind them as well. It turns out that Victor is much more of a music nerd than Benji suspected, which is quite a pleasant surprise. The two of them could talk for hours about music theory, the placements of dominant seventh chords and deceptive cadences. They don’t have that much time, though, so they keep their focus on the chords.

“Wow, Victor,” Benji says. “You pick up fast.”

“Thanks,” Victor can’t help but blush a little. “I really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Benji says. Then, he has a thought. “Actually…”

“Hmm?” Victor presses.

“Would you like to hear some music? We’ve kind of just been sitting here playing chords in isolation.”

“I would love that,” Victor smiles softly.

Benji smiles as well. “May I?” he gestures toward the guitar Victor is holding.

Victor gives the guitar to Benji.

Benji doesn’t even need to think about what he is going to sing. The song that he wrote the morning after his first kiss with Victor will do.

He tunes the guitar to his own voice, and the song starts with a relatively stripped down vocal with a few chords in the mix, strumming happening at the chorus and on.

Benji sings:

_Your smile like a lullaby, serenading me._

_There’s something about your eyes that lures me in so deep._

_If your kiss takes my breath away, then I don’t wanna breathe._

_This soul uncontainable, and it’s killing me._

_Hold me tight, with lullabies,_

_Sing me to sleep, my love._

_Flowers grow with great blue skies_

_High up above._

_This fairytale started with once upon a dream._

_In poems and epilogues, you belong to me._

_Our story’s not finished yet, as far as I can see._

_Because you drive me mad, so I’m begging you please_

_Hold me tight, with lullabies,_

_Sing me to sleep, my love._

_Flowers grow with great blue skies_

_High up above._

A gentle humming pervades the song after the second chorus as a recall to the melody, and the bridge follows.

_We can transcend this realm of existence hand in hand,_

_As you lay right next to me right where I sleep._

_One touch, one smile hits different where I stand_

_Next to you, in my dreams._

_Hold me tight, with lullabies,_

_Sing me to sleep my love._

_Face is glowing bright true eyes,_

_You are enough._

A gentle outro finishes out the lyrical poetry with which Benji serenades Victor.

_You are enough,_

_You are enough._

_You are my beautiful sky,_

_And you are enough._

When Benji finishes the song, the two of them sit in silence for a few moments, looking into each other’s eyes as if they have found something there for which they have always been searching. Victor’s heart has a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, as if Benji reached in and gave him the hug that he has always needed. Never in Victor’s life has he felt more loved and appreciated. Never in his life has he felt so complete. He can’t even begin to express how he feels about Benji right now. Instead, he chooses another course of action.

“Hey, so, um,” Victor starts. “I think I owe you.”

“You owe me?” Benji frowns, not understanding. “For what?”

“Well,” Victor says nervously, “Valentine’s Day.”

“Oh?” Benji chuckles, having a bit more of an inclination about where this is going.

“You paid me twenty dollars and it was two dollars per kiss,” Victor explains through his and Benji’s smiles. “And I barely even gave you one. So I think that ten are in order.”

“Really?” Benji says teasingly.

Before either of the men say anything else, Victor leans in close to Benji, and closes the gap between them.

“One,” Victor whispers as he pulls away.

Benji smiles as Victor leans in again, and their lips connect a second time, somehow feeling even newer than the first.

“Two,” Victor says after the second.

Benji can feel all of the nerves in his body relaxing, yet his heart beats faster and faster with every second, eager to feel the comfortable and familiar softness of Victor’s lips on his own.

Victor goes in again, and it feels tantalizingly slower this time, driving Benji mad.

“Three,” Victor whispers again, barely moving away from Benji’s face, his warm breath hitting Benji’s senses like nothing else ever has.

Benji shivers and he doesn’t know how much more of this he can take before he just goes absolutely wild. Benji has never felt this good in his life, and neither has Victor for that matter.

Victor goes in for another slow, deep kiss. “Fo--”

“Oh just shut up and kiss me!”

Victor is happy to oblige, and the two spring towards each other like magnets, unable to break apart for some time once they connect again. All thought of the kissing booth is lost as they simply enjoy each other’s touch and become familiar with how their bodies feel pressed against each other. They are alone, but they are with each other, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

* * *

When Victor takes out the leash and the travel crate, Rocky gets excited because he knows that it means they’re going to the dog park. They don’t go very often, but Victor decided that because they met over their shared love of animals, a perfect first date for him and Benji would be for their dogs to meet at the dog park and play together.

Meanwhile, Benji prepares to take Marley to the park as well. He is a bit nervous because he has never met Victor’s dog, and it is the first time that he would be taking Marley out any farther than the sidewalk in his neighborhood. He knows that Victor doesn’t have to worry about Marley because they have met already. But what if Rocky doesn’t like Marley? Or worse. What if Rocky doesn’t like Benji? Will that be a deal breaker for Victor?

Regardless, Benji is still excited for the new encounter. He knows that he is usually pretty good with dogs. As he gets Marley ready, he thinks of how lucky he is to have such a wonderful new boyfriend.

A few minutes later, they both get to the park at about the same time. Before Victor and Benji can even say hello to each other, their dogs start to pull towards each other from excitement. They try to hold them back on their leashes; the dog park is just so full of excitement that their little furry friends can barely contain themselves.

Victor and Benji greet each other as they try to calm their dogs down a bit. When they are successful in doing so, the dogs meet each other while still on their leashes, sniffing and getting acquainted. Fortunately, they seem to really like each other, as they seem to want to start playing right away. Before they do that, Rocky attempts to get familiar with Benji.

“Do you think he likes me?” Benji asks Victor with an excited guise, although a tad bit nervously.

Before Victor can answer this question, Rocky jumps up on Benji, panting, and Benji pats his head. While Benji pets him, Rocky gives a little lick to show his affection.

“Yeah, I would say he definitely likes you,” Victor laughs, bringing a warm feeling to Benji. They say that dogs and babies are the best judges of character, so of course, Benji is happy that Victor’s dog seems to approve.

After this little exchange, Victor greets Marley, who gets quite excited upon realizing that Victor is there. Victor one of the people who had been taking care of Marley most often before Benji adopted him, so the two of them already had a special connection.

Victor and Benji decide that the first thing they’ll do is walk their dogs together on their leashes to keep them in a controlled environment. Of course, these dogs have tons of energy, so they go on a short walk around the block and then come back to the dog park. Afterwards, they play some fetch so that they come back to their owners. They let them run around with each other for a little longer, too.

Eventually, when Rocky and Marley seem comfortable enough with each other and with the dog park to be let on their own, Victor and Benji sit down on a bench and watch them play together.

“Best first date ever,” Benji says to Victor before leaning in and giving him a little kiss.

“Well, it doesn’t have to be over yet if you don’t want it to be,” Victor says.

“Oh?”

“Well, I was thinking, what if I made you dinner?” he offers. “You could come over to my place.”

“That sounds lovely,” Benji says sweetly. “And what will you be making?”

“Something simple. How does spaghetti and meatballs sound?”

“I love meatballs,” Benji replies humorously. “So ugly. So delicious.”

Victor chuckles. “It’s a date, then.”

“We’re already on a date, babe,” Benji laughs.

They smile, and they kiss again. They sit back and watch their dogs play until it’s time to go.

* * *

Benji and Marley go over to Victor’s place with Victor and Roc. By the time they get there, the dogs are so tired that they just fall asleep on the floor, and they don’t mind Victor cooking.

Victor insists that Benji doesn’t do any work in the kitchen. He does it as a gesture to show how much he cares about Benji. Even though it hasn’t been that long since they met, they definitely feel a strong connection to each other. Benji accepts the gesture, and he sits on the floor and pets the dogs as they fall asleep and as Victor cooks dinner.

“It smells really good, Vic!” Benji says when Victor is almost finished making his sauce.

“Thanks,” Victor replies. “I love to cook, so I’m glad it’s promising.”

When their dinner is ready, they sit at the table and eat. They don’t say much, as they have been together and active all day. Now is the time for them to wind down. They enjoy each other’s presence, even in the silence. They enjoy the food as well, and Benji compliments Victor on his cooking, very grateful for Victor’s offer and ability to provide.

After they clean up their dishes from dinner, the dogs still asleep, Victor and Benji go over to the couch in Victor’s living room, in the same room as the dogs. The lay down and cuddle up with each other. The backdrop of Victor's living room with some rustic colors and a couple of decorative plants sets a nice serene mood. The piano in an adjacent room with its ever-bearing presence sits grand, next to it, a Yamaha guitar that Victor chose right away without trying any others. All he knew at the time he chose it was that Benji serenaded him with that guitar, and that was enough for Victor to know that that was the one he wanted.

A few moments of silence pass by before Benji says, “Hey, Vic, did I ever tell you the story of the best Valentine’s Day I ever had?”

“What’s that?” Victor asks lazily, clearly tired from the long day.

“Well,” Benji says with a sweetly enticing smile, “It all started when I came across this kissing booth and I met the man of my dreams.”

Victor chuckles, and he kisses Benji once more, a feeling so familiar yet so new, one he doesn’t ever want to give up.

It’s a peaceful, quiet night. No more words are spoken. The dogs lay near each other in their slumber. Victor and Benji’s arms are wrapped around each other. They fall asleep and rest comfortably without a worry in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you found that little kissing booth meet cute as enjoyable as I did! By the way, Rocky is based off of my dog, and I love him, so that's a bit of a glimpse into my life haha. Anyway, thank you for reading! I really appreciate comments and feedback.


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